Renovated Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas offers kids more space to create, learn

1/7

Staff photo by ANANDA BOARDMAN

Kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas listen to Tosha Di Iorio (back center) explain their homework assignment. Di Iorio, who is now the club’s vice president for Marketing and Resource Development, first became involved with the organization as a volunteer.

Behind Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School, tucked away on Worth Street, is a building where kids’ dreams are made.

“Their environment to dream is at school, and here,” said Tosha Di Iorio, vice president of marketing and resource development for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas. “They’re here to have fun, they’re here to learn and they’re here to do homework.”

The nonprofit houses its East Dallas Club and its administrative offices in what used to be a Minyard grocery store at 4804 Worth St., but since it doesn’t look like a kid’s club, Di Iorio said, people often overlook it.

“We really want people to think of us as a neighbor, not just a bunch of kids at the club,” she said.

The club is undergoing renovations, which include improvements to the outside of the building to make it more welcoming. Kids involved in the design process told club officials that they wanted it to look friendier.

“It all starts when the kids pull up,” Di Iorio said. “This is their home away from home.”

The East Dallas location serves 175 kids. Participants ages 6 to 18 spend five days a week at the club from 3 to 7 p.m.

“That’s also the danger hours,” Di Iorio said.

As part of the program, they work on homework, eat a healthy snack, exercise and have the opportunity to take classes in music, art and other extracurricular activities.

Keeping the doors open

The remodel, which began last year, isn’t quite complete. The work has progressed slowly because the club is not closed during the renovation.

This is in part, Di Iorio said, because parents told them their kids would have nowhere to go. She became involved with the nonprofit as a volunteer several years ago, teaching a dance class before becoming a full-time staff member two years ago.

“The reason why I made the transition from corporate to nonprofit is: I believe in this,” she said. “To see the changes in these lives.”

And the organization has a strong history of kids graduating out and coming back to help.

Syreeta Pritchett is one of those success stories. She’s the program manager for the East Dallas Club, but participated in the Boys and Girls Club program in Mesquite as a child.

“It’s kind of funny to see it come full circle,” said Pritchett, who went to Agnes Scott College in Georgia. “The Boys and Girls Club opened up opportunities for me.”

The right people

While multiple organizations and companies have been part of the renovation efforts, the redesign plan was done by Gensler Dallas, an architecture firm, as a pro bono project. Gensler became involved nearly three years ago, when it redid the art room, and the partnership grew from there, said Zach Edwards, a senior associate with Gensler.

“We had done an arts and crafts room for them, just a standalone project,” Edwards said, when the club got its first big grant from The Real Estate Council Foundation. “We went above and beyond what the grant was for and said ‘Let’s create a vision for the entire facility.’”

The club received several grants from TREC Foundation, which helped them get the ball rolling on the remodeling efforts. Di Iorio said investment dollars received to date from donors total more than $200,000, while in-kind donations total nearly $100,000.

“Once our members connect emotionally to a project, they find the time and resources to get the job done right,” said Robin Minick, director of The Real Estate Council Foundation. “This project is an excellent example of how The Real Estate Council Foundation brings together the financial and human capital of our donors, members and member companies to make great things happen.”

The club has undergone smaller projects over the years, but the current project is the largest.

While much of the remodel has been focused on upgrades to the gym, restrooms, kitchen and common areas, Edward said the outside, too, was a focus of the final plan.

“Trying to maintain the overall vision is important,” Edwards said. “This is a Boys and Girls Club. This is a functioning and inviting place for kids.”

The plan created by Gensler allows for changes to be made depending on available funds and what’s needed for a given space. But, Edwards said, it also maintains a unifying theme throughout the club, even though different organizations sponsor different rooms.

Looking to the future

The organization will hold a community open house at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to show its families some of the bigger changes. But Di Iorio said the work will continue piece by piece until the club matches the master plan.

“The beautiful thing is, we’re never done,” Di Iorio said.

And, for the kids, each improvement offers a better space to dream in.

“We’re really not here just to babysit kids. We’re here to help them excel,” she said.

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.